Basque: Spanish Recipes from San Sebastián and Beyond

By José Pizarro  Photos by Laura Edwards

When chef José Pizarro completed his studies to be a dental technician, he realized he’d ignored his true calling. Originally from Extremadura, the Spanish region bordering Portugal known for its inland specialties like roasted meats, creamy Torta del Casar cheese and the finest Monesterio jamón (ham), Pizarro followed up with a year at the hotel school of Cáceres.

After moving to the UK and working at Spanish restaurants in London for 15 years, Pizarro opened José in 2011 and a year later Pizarro. In 2014, he was voted one of the world’s “100 Españoles.” The award honours Spaniards who exemplify success internationally; recipients include actor Antonio Banderas and shoe designer Manolo Blahnik. Not bad for a dental technician!

Basque: Spanish Recipes from San Sebastián and Beyond, published by Hardie Grant Books, is Pizarro’s third cookbook. It’s filled with pintxos (small tapas) and main courses from the Northern Spanish region that straddles France. The town of San Sebastián, on the north coast, has more three-star Michelin restaurants than anywhere else in Europe. Here are our favourite pintxos from the book.

Recipes and photos from Basque: Spanish Recipes from San Sebastián and Beyond (Hardie Grant Books, 2016).